Religion is a unified system of beliefs, feelings, and behaviors that gives its members a sense of identity and direction. It offers them a person or concept of something to worship, a goal to strive toward, and a code of behavior by which to judge their own actions and those of others. It also addresses questions about the nature of reality and of life after death. People often express their religion in many ways: devotedly, generously, ecstatically, prayerfully, sacrificially, puritanically, ritualistically, and so on.
Scholars often agree that there is a variety of ways to define religion, and that it is a complex and changeable category. Some, like Durkheim, see it as a social taxon with an underlying essence, while others, such as Paul Tillich, think of it more as a functional concept that organizes one’s values. Nonetheless, the notion that there is a common family resemblance between religions has become a widely accepted view.
Most religions believe that the world and its contents are created, sustained, and transformed by supernatural or spiritual forces. Some anthropologists, or scientists who study human cultures and their origins, support the theory that religion is a response to the realization that humans are mortal and that there must be some way to overcome death and find immortality. Other scholars argue that the idea of religion is a culturally based phenomenon and that it develops from an understanding of natural processes and systems. This is known as the naturalistic view of religion.